Injured Reveal
by im.a.mystical.mage
Summary: Ladybug falls and injures herself. Chat Noir rushes to her aid. Her earings have only one spot left.
1. Chapter 1

She was falling. The wind whipped through her hair and she squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to brace herself. She had fallen from the top of the Eiffel Tower. She had thrown her yoyo up, confidently, reaching for a beam to wrap around and stop her decent. But she had missed the mark, and now her and the yoyo were falling fast. It would only be a second before she made contact with the ground below, and she did not have the time to try and catch herself again.

Chat Nior was falling too, but not helplessly. He had jumped after her to try and rescue her, but he did not fall fast enough to catch her, and his elongated baton was just not the tool for the job.

Thay had just defeated another of Hawkmoth's akumatized villains, and she had purified the akuma and set everything back to normal. She had gone to help the akuma victim up, but had taken a step back and found nothing but air. She had thought that, as Ladybug, her klutziness would have been eradicated. But she had fallen. And she fell fast. And her small frame hit with a smack.

She felt the air flee from her lungs as she hit the concrete. She gasped, and her chest filled with oxygen but she could not get enough of it. Her skull, it felt, had been split open and her brain had leaked all over the ground. Her skin and flesh and bones sung out in a symphony of pain. It hurt. It hurt so bad.

She heard him before she opened her eyes. Wide green ones were staring back at her in horror. "Milady!" He tossed his baton aside and gently cupped her face in his gloved hands. She inhaled sharply at his touch. "Are you hurt? Tell me where it hurts," Chat said urgently. He had tears building in his eyes that threatened to roll down his cheeks. His cat ears where angled down and his ring beeped as another pad disappeared.

How could she answer that? It hurt everywhere. Her body felt like lead and each breath she took felt like poison. Her head throbbed terribly and she thought that her brain might explode any second. "Ah... my head..." Ladybug managed to moan. Her earrings beeped impatiently in her ear, warning her.

"Your earrings... you've only got one spot left. I've got to get you out of here." Chat grabbed his baton and then positioned his arms under her. He stood up carefully with her cradled in his arms. Ladybug cried out in pain and he winced. "I'm sorry, milady." He extended his baton and they were rocketed up into the sky.

Ladybug held on as tight as her shocked muscles would let her and closed her eyes as Chat Nior raced across Paris rooftops. She felt him leap into the air and felt the subtle temperature change as he landed them indoors. She opened her eyes as he set her down gently on the softest bed she had ever had the privilege of passing out on. They were in Adrien Agreste's room. She remembered thinking how odd it was to have ended up here of all places, and then her eyes involuntarily fluttered shut and her mind blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2

He hadn't expected that. Not for her to fall or for her to hit the ground or for her to be pass out on his bed. He should have taken her to the hospital. He should have taken her to get real medical attention. But he could not risk her identity being revealed to all of Paris. So he took her someplace safe and private where she could de-transform. He had not expected her to pass out though, and was now faced with a tough decision.

Chat Noir turned his back as Ladybug's earring sounded a last warning. Behind him, a warm glowing light lit up his peripheral and he knew that his partner was de-transformed. Chat wanted to look so bad; he wanted to know who the love of his life was. But it felt wrong to take away Ladybug's choice in the matter.

He squeezed his eyes shut in frustration. His own miraculous beeped. "Claws in," he commanded. His black suit and mask faded away and underneath he was just Adrien Agreste. He opened his eyes and his kwami materialized before him. Plagg's eyes widened when he saw who was behind Adrien. "What's she—"

A red kwami darted from behind his shoulder and silenced Plagg with a tiny hand to his mouth. "Plagg, don't reveal her identity!"

Adrien looked at the small thing with curiosity. "Are... are you Ladybug's kwami?"

She turned to him. "I am. My name's Tikki, and my miraculous holder is in need of help."

"I know, but how can I help her without revealing her identity?" Adrien pointed out their dilemma.

"Ah, true," Tikki thought for a moment, "we can't waste time; you're just going to have to find out who she really is. I give you permission."

As much as he wanted to know who Ladybug was, Adrien didn't want to look. He didn't care about having Tikki's permission, he wanted Ladybug's permission. But the kwami was right: they didn't have time. He felt frozen and rooted to the spot. Then he took a deep breath and turned his head.

He should have been surprised. He should have been shocked to find out that, this whole time, the love of his life had been one seat behind him every day. He should have been stunned that the girl of his dreams was someone he already considered a great friend. He should have been taken aback to discover that his lady was someone he already knew was incredible. But he wasn't surprised or shocked or stunned or taken aback at all. This made perfect sense. She was so selfless and caring and strong willed. Her heart was too big for that small frame of hers. Of course she had to be Ladybug. There was no one else it could have been.

"Marinette?" Adrien rushed to her lifeless body and knelt down. He gingerly touched her cheek, but she did not stir. He lifted her head and found red blood pooling on his bed. Feeling about her scalp, he found a two-inch gash that was sticky with blood. "I must get her to the hospital right now." He stood, determination gleaming in his eyes. "Plagg, claws out!"

The kwami spiraled into his ring and magic skittered up his body as he was transformed into Chat Noir. He scooped up Marinette into his arms, ran to the window, and jumped out into the night.


End file.
